Police arrest man and woman in Eugene after door-to-door search in Cal Young area

EUGENE, Ore . -- Police went door-to-door searching for suspects who ran after crashing a car into a curb with law enforcement in pursuit Monday.

Eugene Police urged residents in the Cal Young area to lock their doors and report suspicious activity Monday night as law enforcement swarmed the area.

The incident began around 4:48 p.m. Monday when a Springfield Police detective spotted a stolen vehicle with four occupants southbound on I-5 and gave chase, a Springfield Police Department report said.

The vehicle headed into Eugene on Beltline. Eugene and Springfield police officers responded to the area to assist.

When they attempted to make a stop in the WalMart parking lot off Green Acres Road in Eugene, the driver failed to yield, fleeing the area in an attempt to elude officers, police said.

The driver, 25-year-old Jessica Blanton of Eugene, led Springfield officers down several streets in the Ferry Street Bridge area before colliding with a curb in the intersection of Norkenzie and Larkspur Loop.

The collision disabled the vehicle and Blanton exited on foot, running to the east.

42-year-old Roberto Martinez of Eugene, the front passenger, fled on foot to the west. As he fled, a Good Samaritan attempted to tackle him.

The Good Samaritan was inadvertently bitten by a pursuing police dog during the struggle with Martinez who was able to free himself and continue his flight, the report said. The Good Samaritan was later treated at the hospital for minor injuries, according to police.

Eugene and Springfield officers contained and searched the area along with two Springfield PD K9 units. The first K9 team, led by K9 Falko, tracked Blanton to the east and located her in the back yard of residence to the north of a home she had unlawfully entered and hid inside during her attempt to flee police.

The second K9 team, led by K9 Flex, tracked Martinez to the west. After a prolonged search of the neighborhood, K9 Flex found Martinez hiding underneath a house he had accessed through a small crawl space.

Martinez and Blanton both surrendered without further incident when located by the K9s.

A male and female passenger in the back seat of the stolen vehicle were detained, interviewed, and released without charges, police said.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Springfield Police Department at (541) 726-3714.